Bound by blood. Bound by loyalty. Bound by love.
Florian has it all: excellent fashion sense, a kickass job with his best friend, and a hard-won place among Silverton’s werewolves. When a pack of females pads into their territory, Flo’s alpha dispatches him to handle a merger. Total cakewalk. Except Keely, their alpha, has no intention of submitting her wolves to Flo’s larger pack. Worse, a single glance from her baby blues sends his eloquence on vacation and his heartbeat into overdrive. His flirtations seem welcome too, but there’s a snag. She doesn’t know he’s a vampire.
While Flo struggles with his conflicts—obey his alpha, or win over Keely—his estranged sire blasts into town with a catalog of radical ideas. And hanging out with unsophisticated werewolves didn’t make the list.
With violence in the air and all sides testing his loyalties, Florian must bite back, even if showing his fangs costs him the girl.
~ Bewitching BT

Excerpt

Keely led me around the side of the camp to an area where ropes, wooden blocks, and tires lay strewn in the grass. Despite her heels sinking into the uneven ground, she kept her poise.

“We want to set up a few swings.” She pointed at the grassy surface.

I took a quick count of the materials. “There’s enough here for two swings, a seesaw and maybe a fort.”

“A fort?” She gave a laugh, light and carefree.

I stood taller. “You have boys here, right? You gotta have a fort.”

“If you say so. Come on then.” She kicked off her shoes and strode barefoot toward a wooden beam.

“We need a saw.”

She gestured to my right. “Will that do?”

“Yes.” I picked it up. “Come on, give me a hand.”

Together, we cut the ends of four sturdy posts at roughly twenty-degree angles. Sawing wasn’t a hobby of mine, but it seemed appropriately manly. The kind of work a male werewolf might perform.

“Have you done this before?” She used her weight to hold down the long end, exposing more cleavage than a man holding dangerous tools should see.

“No. But I’ve read about it.” I placed the saw and moved it back and forth until the corner dropped into the grass. “It didn’t seem difficult.”

“You read about building a swing set?” She exchanged one board for another, which got the same treatment. “That must have been a riveting read. You should join us for book club and tell us about it.”

I chuckled. “My memory has a thing for remembering weird information. Like how to build the frame, but not where I read it. Sorry. Am I still invited?”

“Sure. We’ll be discussing the complexities and metaphors of Little Women. You can bring the snacks.”

“There is no book club, is there?”

She straightened and ran the back of her hand over her glistening forehead. “No. Maybe next month.”

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Q&A

1. If you were to describe your e-book/book in only one word, what would it be?

Bound. The title says it all.

2. What would you say inspired you to write it?

We first met Florian, a charming vampire with a wonderful sense of humor, in Guarded, and he really resonated with readers. I always felt there was more to him, a darker side he rarely showed, and it was something I wanted to explore.

3. What was the source of inspiration for your protagonist? What about your antagonist?

My best friend at college was a guy who was always upbeat, a little self-centered, but also self-deprecating. A friendship was all we had, but it was intense. We saw each other nearly every day, doing practically nothing, yet having the best time. He moved away and I haven’t spoken to him in years, but he was an important person in my life. Florian, while different in many respects, is based on him.

The antagonist is Keely, his romantic interest. She’s the catalyst that makes him want to become a better version of himself. She had to be funny and bright, like him. And since Flo rarely flexes his alpha muscles, I made sure she made up for it. They just work. As one reader put it, she’s the alpha during the day, but in the bedroom, he’s in charge.

4. Have you ever been hit by the infamous “writer’s block”? What did you do to escape it?

Yes and no. I’m never short on plot, but there are times when the words won’t come. I know what I want and what the story needs, but putting sentences on paper that don’t sound like they were written by a five-year-old is an entirely different challenge. I overcome it by missing a day of writing and try again the next day.

5. Your all time favorite book?

You’re asking me to name my favorite children? If I prefer my mom over my dad? Because those questions I could answer. Sigh. I’d say The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman.

6. What made you pick that one above all others?

Because I had to pick one. That said, Neil Gaiman has an incredible talent and seemingly infinite imagination. In The Graveyard Book, he tells a story that is at once pure fantasy and yet deeply emotional and therefore ‘real.’

7. What’s the longest time you’ve spent working on a project?

More than ten years ago, I started a project I called The Signs. That led to a reimagining of the plot, which I called Darklands. Darklands became Taken. About five years later, it was time to start another project. I went back to my original idea for The Signs, which transformed beyond recognition into Divide and Conquer, my debut. After that first release, my mind was still on Taken, which I reworked and renamed Guarded.

8. Would you say becoming an author has changed you? In what way?

Even after more than a year of being “in the game,” negative reviews or ratings still hurt like punches in the gut. But I’m getting better at brushing them aside. That helps in ‘real life,’ too.

9. How do you deal with bad reviews or acid criticism? What would you advise other authors to that effect?

Nothing I say will make bad reviews hurt less. All I can say is beg for harsh criticism before publication, and ignore it after publication. On bad days, re-read the positive comments you’ve received over the years. They are worth just as much as the bad ones, and will help you keep going.

10. Is this title part of a series? Without giving us spoilers, of course, what can we expect from the next books in the series?

Even though BOUND can be read on its own, it is in fact book 2 of The Silverton Chronicles. Each book will stand alone, but there will also be an arc spanning all five volumes. After a mystery (Guarded) and a romance (BOUND), book 3 will be more action-oriented.

Fun facts: :

1. If you could wish for any one thing, and it would immediately come true, what would you wish for?

A global eradication of stupidity.

2. If you were stranded on an isolated island, what’s the one book you’d absolutely wish to have with you?

One I haven’t read yet. I don’t read books twice.

3. Name your favorite fruit?

Mango

4. Coffee or tea?

Tea

5. Favorite season?

Spring.

6. How about fav time of 24 hours?

10 p.m. to 11 p.m.

7. Were you a boyscout/girlscout?

Neither.

8. Favorite food for breakfast?

None. If I have to eat something, sweetcorn.

9. Latest book you’ve bought and read?

The Skull Throne, by Peter V. Brett

10. Do you collect things like stamps, or key chains, or shoes?

I used to collect stamps and stickers. Nowadays, I collect modern signed first edition books.

11. Favorite color, you know you want to tell us! ?

Blue.

12. Drama or comedy?

Comedy. Always.

13. Have a fav quote or personal motto?

A quote from MASH: “Individuality is okay, as long as we all do the same thing.” The quote epitomizes comedy.

14. Cats or dogs?

Cats.

15. Dinner by candlelight or a night out clubbing?

Dinner by candlelight.

16. What song have you listened to most recently?

Sound of Silence.

17. What first came to mind after reading question no. 1 of the Fun Facts section? I mean that thing that you reconsidered after giving it more thought 😛 ?

Enough money for a nice house and a car and, you know, more books.

Full Disclosure:

1. Your top secret, uber guilty pleasure is… ?

Sleep. I have been known (by very few) to sleep away a whole weekend.

2. If you could choose to be someone else for just one day, it would be… ?

Someone rich to find out if money really doesn’t make your life better.

3. Your oldest memory is… ?

My mother walking me to kindergarten.

4. If everyone received a prize for being best at something, you’d be no. 1 at… ?

Giving unsolicited advice.

5. The one thing you’d do anything to get out of is… ?

Cleaning.

6. Your favorite part of a date is… ?

The end, when the giggles are gone, your heart beats at a normal pace, and your brain remembers words again.

7. If a character from any book could become real and you could spend a day with them, it would be… from the book… ?

Jenks, the pixie, from Kim Harrison’s books.

8. You are a hardcore fan of… ?

Tabletop games.

9. You’d immediately fall for someone who… ?

…makes me laugh a lot.

10. The one thing you could never get over is… ?

…malice.

11. If you could have any one superpower, it would be… ?

Being invisible. I wouldn’t have to wash my hair every day. Oh, and probably save the world. Somehow.

12. The one thing that always brightens your day is… ?

Kindness.

13. The most awkward moment in your life happened when… ?

I accidentally sat on my friend’s head.

14. The awesomest thing in your life is… ?

…my family.

About the Author & Links:

Carmen lives in the south of England with her beloved tea maker and a stuffed sheep called Fergus. An avid reader since childhood, she caught the writing bug when her Nana asked her to write a story. She also has a law degree, studied physics for a few years, dabbled in marketing and human resources, and speaks native-level German and fluent Geek. Her preferred niches of geekdom are tabletop games, comics, sci-fi and fantasy.

She writes about smart women with sassitude, about pretty cool guys too, and will chase that plot twist, no matter how elusive.

Guarded (The Silverton Chronicles – Bk. 1) became a no. 1 bestseller in the vampire and werewolf mystery categories.

Haus Butterfly Crest xD

FTC Disclosure

The owner(s) of this blog is(are) often offered free copies to provide opinion on books. All such reviews are labeled “RBR” [review by request], i.e. the review has been requested by the author/publisher etc directly or indirectly (through NetGalley, Edelweiss, book tour) and I have been provided with a free review copy, marked as Source: review copy.
All reviews are entirely the reviewer's opinion, are not influenced by the review copy offered and no monetary compensations are accepted for them!